A long-awaited season from one of the most explosive television shows has finally debuted on Netflix—and some viewers are heated over it in a way that feels oddly reminiscent of the plot of the first season. With claims that the second season is too different from the first, and that the new cast doesn’t add much to the experience, the complaints abound. But is it really that bad?
Beef Season 2 debuted on April 16th, and critics are loving it. But casual viewers seem to be having a hard time coming to terms with the series becoming an anthology rather than a continuation of the story that began in the first season—something the showrunner had always intended. Season 2 centers on a story that, on the surface, at least, seems much calmer than the events of Season 1. It starts with Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton), both entry-level staff at a country club, as they become entangled in the violently unraveling marriage of their boss, Josh (Oscar Isaac), and his wife, Lindsay (Carey Mulligan). Why is the series so different from the first? “Season 1’s beef is so overt and aggressive. I thought Season 2 should be the inverse: a passive-aggressive beef, which is more true to life, especially in a workplace,” says Lee Sung Jin, the showrunner.
It’s Subtle Generational Beef in Season 2
Play video
Lee was more interested in showing the discord between a less explored generational divide, focusing the second season of the series on the beef between Millennials and Gen Z. But casual viewers of the show, who have rated it a paltry 61%, seem to be struggling with this, as well as the fact that they’ve been introduced to a new story with a new cast. One viewer said, “I was disappointed with season 2 because it didn’t start where it left off from season 1; they changed the whole cast.” Another added, “Season two of Beef just didn’t hit like season one. The pacing was slow, the story felt off, and it never really built the same tension.”
Critics, however, have a much kinder view of the series, rating it 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. And while it’s obvious that they also prefer the first season for its visceral anger and risk-taking with the story, they weren’t turned off by a new story and a new cast. “Less shocking than the first season, Lee Sung Jin pulls back on some of the raunchier elements from before to dial in on the more heartbreaking rock-bottom moments, crafting a story with less rage and something more intimate altogether,” says critic Kate Sánchez, highlighting the differences that worked in the second season.
The intention to have each season focus on a different story was one Lee had from the very beginning. “The intention was always to have it be an anthology. My early pitch to networks included slides with rough examples of potential ‘beefs’ for upcoming seasons.”
What’s your favorite moment from the second season of Beef? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other fans are saying.